The law of the Jungle: novice specialists turn to "black mentors" to gain experience
The Russian labor market is undergoing tectonic shifts: the classical model of "higher education — internship — work" in conditions of economic turbulence and total automation has stopped working for millions of graduates. Today, employers are looking at diplomas less and less often, demanding from newcomers not so much the desire to study as the willingness to make a profit from the first day. In these conditions, novice specialists are forced to look for non-standard ways: from free projects to outright falsification of resumes with the help of "black mentors". All the details are in the Izvestia article.
New Reality: The Age of "Rogue Juniors"
Career consultants are recording the crisis of junior positions: there are fewer and fewer vacancies for yesterday's students. According to Inna Sobchuk, a career consultant and AI Project manager, the situation has worsened since 2025, when companies set a course to optimize resources.
"The tasks that the juniors used to perform, due to which they gained their first experience, are now being given to the middles and seniors, who close them through AI tools. This naturally affects hiring. Companies no longer need a large number of interns, do not spend money and time on their training, and at the same time, it does not affect the business at the moment. Unfortunately, we cannot yet give an affirmative answer about how this will affect the business in the future, since AI optimization is a new direction, and research takes time - 1-2 years," she explained.
At the same time, in some industries, on the contrary, there is an increase in demand for employees without experience. According to the press service of Avito Rabota, in the second quarter of 2026, the number of such vacancies in Russia as a whole increased by 15% compared to the same period last year. The leaders were housing and communal services and urban infrastructure (an increase of 146%), the forestry and woodworking industries (+125%), as well as mining and processing of minerals (+76%).
However, high salaries in these sectors contrast with the situation in the office and IT professions, where competition for jobs remains prohibitive. Nevertheless, the specialists of Avito Rabota adhere to an encouraging position: the demand for novice specialists is not just there, but is actively growing.
The radical method of "black mentors"
The most controversial trend has been the emergence of so-called black mentors. Alice Kurtz, a programmer and career consultant, noted that due to the strict requirements (at least three years of experience), newcomers massively resort to falsifying resumes.
"They godlessly lie in their resume: they write that they had 3-5 years of experience. And they come up with some companies for themselves. Yes, checks have been tightened now, of course, but not every company is engaged in deep security checks," she told Izvestia.
According to Kurtz, whole courses have appeared where specialists are taught to create a legend and hold on to interviews. She also spoke about cases when people with drawn experience reached salaries of 200 thousand rubles.
"There is a whole cohort of people, I call them "black mentors", who are engaged in training novice specialists. How to sell yourself as a specialist with experience, how to lie at an interview — they come up with a legend about where the person worked, what he did there, how many people he had in the team, what projects the applicant was involved in. And, of course, they train in technology, so that at a technical interview a person can really look like a specialist with experience," Kurtz shared.
Lying in a resume can help a candidate to pass the initial selection, but it creates serious risks already at the interview stage. Employers check education, work experience, positions, and professional skills by contacting previous companies or requesting supporting documents. Discrepancies in dates, responsibilities, and achievements quickly raise doubts about the applicant's reliability. In addition, information about a failed check may remain in the company's internal database and complicate re-employment.
According to Evgeniya Chervets, PhD in Law, managing partner of Chervets.Partners, editor-in-chief of the Soft Law Almanac, arbitrator, Russian legislation does not provide for liability for providing false information at an interview, since the resume is not included in the closed list of documents that the applicant must present to the employer (art. 65 of the Labor Code of the Russian Federation). However, in some cases, the actions of a lying candidate and a "black mentor" can be considered a violation of the law.
"The border runs where the "legend" ceases to be oral and is supported by a document — a fake diploma, a certificate from the previous place of work, an extract from the STD-R, a GPH contract. From that moment on, the mentor is no longer a consultant. The production of such a document forms part 1 of Article 327 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (ed. "Forgery, manufacture or trafficking of forged documents")," she told Izvestia.
The expert noted that if the mentor persuaded the candidate to use the document or helped prepare it, this is complicity in the form of incitement (art. 33 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation) in forgery, manufacture or trafficking of forged documents, state awards, stamps, seals or letterheads. The Supreme Court, in paragraph 11 of the Plenum resolution No. 43 dated 12/17/2020, clarified: the crime is over already at the moment when the document is submitted to the employer, whether the candidate has received a job or not does not matter. A contract with such a "mentor" will not receive protection: the service is aimed at a goal that is obviously contrary to the principles of law and order (art. 169 of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation).
"It is possible to dismiss on the initiative of an employer due to the provision of forged documents by an employee (paragraph 11 of part 1 of Article 81 of the Labor Code of the Russian Federation) only for forged documents from the list of Article 65 of the Labor Code of the Russian Federation. It is not allowed for fictitious experience in the resume, but if the truth is revealed, the employer can appeal to the failed probation period (Article 71 of the Labor Code of the Russian Federation) or certification," added Chervets.
At the same time, the risk of criminal liability lies with the applicant himself, and not with the mentor. The candidate submits the document to the employer — he also becomes the executor according to art. 327 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. According to the expert, even if the case is terminated on non-rehabilitating grounds, the fact of criminal prosecution will remain and will surface at the first check by the security service in the future. At the same time, the employee will not be charged for lost profits: Article 238 of the Labor Code limits his liability to direct actual damage.
At the same time, the expert emphasized, dismissal is not the most serious consequence for an unscrupulous applicant.
"In an industry with a narrow professional community, the price of reputation is usually higher than any amount of compensation. The higher you rise in your profession and career, the narrower the circle becomes. We all know each other by hand. And in such an environment, reputation is crucial. At a time when everyone can imagine themselves as anyone and you can create any portfolio online, the most expensive capital is reputation and personal contacts. Who is your friend, who has worked with you, who recommends you? Now it's not enough to get a recommendation about a person "I'm in the same business club with him." This is no longer a guarantee of reliability. Now we are looking for those who have actually dealt with a person and can give feedback on specific professional competencies tested by live examples," concluded Evgenia Chervets.
Financial question: how to live during an internship
The main stumbling block for beginners is the financial issue. Most corporate internships are either free or paid symbolically.
As an alternative, experts advise considering side jobs in related fields. Roman Gubanov, Director of Development at Avito Rabota, noted that 26% of respondents started their careers with part-time work, and 30% use it to test various professional roles. Employers are particularly active in attracting newcomers to the automotive business (66% increase in offers), catering (+43%) and warehouse logistics (+41%).
"When it is not possible to opt for an internship or internship, there is a strategy — to look for a part-time job that is as close to your chosen specialty as possible or comfortable in terms of responsibilities and schedule, and plan shifts so that they do not interfere with your studies. This allows you to simultaneously receive professional practice and the first income at the start of your career," Gubanov emphasized.
At the same time, according to labor law lawyer Valentina Yakovleva, free internships are illegal and may violate labor laws, but the legal assessment depends on the nature of the relationship between the company and the program participant.
According to the expert, the key factor is the content of the internship. If the program is aimed at learning and acquiring new skills, it may not provide for payment, but an appropriate agreement must be concluded between the parties.
If the intern actually performs the employee's work duties, the lack of payment for such work is a violation. At the same time, the relationship should be formalized in an appropriate document, depending on their nature.
"Free internships are illegal. If a person comes and does the work, this is one contract. If he comes to study, this is a different contract. There is a proper document for each type of relationship. It is also important to understand the internship process itself. For example, if we are talking about training, then this is a non—labor relationship and the company has the right not to pay anything for it," Yakovleva told Izvestia.
"Bring-and-serve" and the transformation of formal practice into a working experience
Another serious problem remains the formal approach to industrial practice in universities. Students are not given real tasks, limiting themselves to the role of an "errand boy." Experts advise not to wait for the mercy of the authorities, but to act ahead of the curve. Inna Sobchuk recommended looking at even routine activities through the prism of collecting resume cases and trying to answer the question: "What achievement can I achieve for my resume thanks to this task?"
"If you, as a student, have put some kind of process in order or, for example, have systematized data inside the university, this will be a good achievement that will make you more competitive," she explained.
Employers are willing to pay not for seniority per se, but for the ability to solve problems. Roman Gubanov confirmed that a direct request for tasks, recording even small achievements and a competent description of them in a resume help to convert useless practice into working experience.
"As for the lack of work tasks during internship at the university, in such a situation it is important to explicitly state the task request. A student can openly tell the supervisor of the internship or the employer that he does not have meaningful work right now, and ask to be involved in simple but real processes: preparing reports, analytics, basic operational tasks, and communication. Even small assignments should be fixed immediately for yourself.: what exactly he did, with what tools, and what the result was, can later be correctly described in a resume as initial work experience," he stressed.
Search Tools: from AI Dropout to networking
It is becoming increasingly difficult to break through the automated selection screen today. The introduction of AI screening changes the rules of the game: according to the Avito Jobs survey, 51% of applicants have already encountered chatbots when searching, and 31% are ready to go through automated stages. At the same time, the response rate becomes a basic expectation: for 94% of respondents, it matters to one degree or another. Experts recommend using all channels to find a job.
"Do not forget about effective methods — these are network, referral programs, sending resumes directly to the recruiter, submitting through company websites," Sobchuk said.
The expert also recommended not downloading resume templates from job aggregators, but making PDF versions to circumvent the limitations of standard forms.
The ideal candidate: a portrait of Jun, who is being hunted by companies
Despite the general skepticism about novice specialists, employers are still ready to hire juniors, but only those who meet the new requirements. According to Inna Sobchuk, a classic graduate with a red diploma, but without practical skills, is no longer listed. Companies are looking for adaptive people who are ready to learn new technologies quickly, regardless of the industry in which they received their education.
"It's important to understand that the competition is huge and the demands are high, so just being a jun is not enough. Companies are looking for conditionally june-plus specialists," the expert emphasized.
The second prerequisite is the possession of basic AI tools. This is not about deep knowledge of LLM, but about the practical application of artificial intelligence to automate routine tasks. Completed, even small, cases that the graduate initiated independently are also critically important.
"Businesses need results and numbers, so first of all, of course, they will pay attention to those who have cases. It is difficult to be competitive without cases," Sobchuk emphasized.
At the same time, the source of the cases does not matter.: These can be freelance projects, volunteering, university initiatives, or even launching your own mini-businesses.
The expert paid special attention to self-presentation skills. Two candidates with the same background can receive completely different offers: one — 30 thousand, the other — 80 thousand rubles, if the second one knows how to competently compose a resume, present himself and show potential benefits for business.
"The market needs to show what benefits you will bring to the company," Sobchuk concluded.
She recommended describing any experience through business metrics: improving process efficiency, growing subscribers, or reducing costs. At the same time, the metrics must correspond to the professional field.
Proactivity and publicity also add points to the candidate. Employers want to see a "fresh head" who is ready to lead the processes, rather than following a mentor. Maintaining LinkedIn, participating in research projects, and being open to new challenges become additional arguments in favor of the applicant.
"Jun is expected to have a fresh look, new ideas, new trends — it is important to be on the agenda of what is happening in the world.: new discoveries, research, trends," said Sobchuk.
According to her, this approach is radically different from the "came, learned, left" model, which remained in the past back in 2024.
The best time to look for a job
In the corporate world, HR specialists confirm a certain seasonality of active recruitment, which consists of a combination of reasons, career consultant and IT recruiter Anna Trofimova told Izvestia.
The first peak of hiring occurs in the spring (March–May), when companies have already approved budgets after February and are actively looking for new employees. In autumn (September–November), the second peak occurs, as many return from vacations and open vacancies.
In the period from December to January, there is a decline: there are fewer vacancies, rates are closing, and the new budget has not yet been calculated. In summer (July–August) There is also a "period of silence", as many recruiters and managers are on vacation. At the same time, Trofimova noted, even if a vacancy is open in a lull, it means that it is really needed.
"There is also less competition during this period (either candidates are also on vacation or waiting for the holidays to end), and the chances of employment are higher. During such a period, the job search should not be stopped," the expert emphasized.
What awaits the market in the future
In the long term, analysts predict that the tough market situation for beginners will continue at least until 2029. The main survival skill is the ability to adapt and sell yourself.
"You have to be proactive, you have to develop cases, you have to be able to describe your contribution to business results. In a world where artificial intelligence takes over the routine, the value is represented by the one who brings measurable benefits, and not by the one who just "shuffled papers"," concluded Inna Sobchuk.
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